The Boys Review – Down with the Supes

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With subscription services on the rise, and a tidal wave of new and noteworthy content, it’s often hard to separate the grain from the chaff when it comes to movies and television. The top dogs in the “original content Goliaths” category are very clearly Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. As evidenced by shows like Stranger Things, BoJack Horseman, and Mindhunter, Netflix came out of the gate swinging hard and has consistently established their strength in the direct streaming market. Amazon, on the other hand, have tested their mettle with what seems like an attempt to either appeal to a wider market, or simply to establish their role as the bolder of the two. With titles like Transparent, The Man In the High Castle, and Sneaky Pete, Amazon has consistently pushed out content that’s a bit high-concept, and regularly challenges the sort of media that Netflix creates.

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

A perfect example of that mentality is
Amazon’s new series The Boys, a
graphic-novel-turned-gritty-streaming-series. Hasn’t that been done
over a million times? It certainly has, but arguably not like this.
In a world where the superhero mythos has been wrung dry and rehashed
in almost every way possible, The Boys has found a way to
shake things up a bit.

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

Note: This review contains minor spoilers for the beginning of The Boys. Please consider this before reading.

The Boys Review

The Boys primarily follows the
story of the Vought Corporation, a defense contractor who oversees
The Seven. The Seven are the in-universe version of The Justice
League or the Avengers, but with a much better marketing program.
There are a large amount of “supes”, or superheroes in the world
who act with impunity. They realize that their god-like powers allow
them to act with relative immunity to consequences. As a result, they
have crazy parties, generally act rude when the cameras aren’t on
them, or even in some cases, murder. If you’ve ever wondered how
the Avengers get away with destroying buildings, or maybe even
killing people in the name of saving the world, The Boys explores these questions.

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

The show also focuses on the story of
Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), whose girlfriend Robin (Jess Salgueiro)
is reduced to a wave of blood and viscera by A-Train (Jessie T.
Usher), a supe whose powers allow him to run at incredible speeds.
Shortly thereafter, Hughie is approached by Billy Butcher (Karl
Urban), a mercenary with a chip on his shoulder for supes and their
kin. In order to keep their stranglehold on superheroes, the Vought
Corporation has to ensure that the media doesn’t catch wind of
incidents like A-Train’s. Butcher and the Boys do their best to try
to keep supes in line by any means necessary, often having to resort
to extreme violence to do so. With an undisclosed, but presumably
large number of humans with superpowers, Butcher and his team have a
lot of ground to cover

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

Violence and Gore in The Boys

Billed as a story to “out-PreacherPreacher”, The Boys was always destined to be gory.
That said, the show takes it to levels I haven’t seen on television
before. Without a doubt, this show was designed for a streaming
platform, because I don’t think this would be cleared for
mainstream TV. That said, it doesn’t detract from the drama of the
show, but rather add stakes to the world. You immediately understand
the distinct power imbalance between the average human and the supes;
it sets the stage for everything that comes after. The color palette
on the show is a lush and low-key visual treat. The colors and
lighting are a stark contrast to the hi-fi, color saturated standard
for the average superhero movie.

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

The storyline for The Boys doesn’t always present the most complex narratives, but overall
stands alone as a nice commentary on the potential reality of a
universe in which some people have extraordinary powers. Some of the
most compelling content is the exploration of the pratfalls of
managing rockstar-level employees who often find themselves getting
into drugs, alcohol, and sexually compromising situations. The
corporate intrigue arcs that unravel as the viewer watches Vought
employees maneuver and scramble to keep their assets in check help
contextualize the tenuous balance that Vought has struck in the name
of money. Given the choice, would a super-human act morally? There’s
no doubt that there would be some outliers, but the question remains:
would the majority be heroes or despots?

Credit to Amazon Prime Video

Should You Watch The Boys?

The Boys stands as some of the best television I’ve watched in a while. It’s binge-able and a great weekend watch if you’ve got a few spare hours. Again, I wouldn’t recommend for younger viewers due to its violence and subject matter, but if you’re not against a little gore in the name of entertainment, this show is definitely for you.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

If you loved The Boys but haven’t read the original comic series, you can grab it using the links above! (Paid Links)

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Jamie cut her teeth on Windows 95 classics like Jazz Jackrabbit, and Tyrion. She’s since abandoned the ’95 for a self-built PC, and a second-hand Xbox One. Jamie is a co-host on Super Gamecast 64, as well as a review and opinion article writer and loves games of all kinds.